


The Fear in His Veins

by Durani



Series: Star Trek Bingo 2020 [1]
Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, And no freaking plot, At first this was supposed to be a huge thing, Body Modification, But then I realized I only had one scene in mind, I like it, Light Angst, M/M, So this is what was left
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:49:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26220676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Durani/pseuds/Durani
Summary: Years of oppression brought the new emperor Elim Garak one scared powerful boy who tried to kill him. After this unsuccessful attempt, Garak's not sure what to do with the Human boy.
Relationships: Elim Garak & Kelas Parmak, Julian Bashir & Kelas Parmak, Julian Bashir/Elim Garak
Series: Star Trek Bingo 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1904293
Kudos: 14
Collections: Star Trek Bingo Summer 2020





	The Fear in His Veins

**Author's Note:**

> Do you know the feeling where you have one scene in mind or just a vague picture and you just want to get it on paper so you start creating a whole novel just so you can write that one scene? Yeah, this was supposed to it. And I failed.

_ That human is nothing but problems and you know it Elim. _

Tain’s voice ringed in his head as Garak walked through the gardens of his palace and was recalling everything they talked about during their little meeting.

_ They all are. We should have done something with them right from the start. Not wait. _

Truth enough. That waiting brought Garak a young human man from an unnamed village somewhere in the mountains with magic inside him that nearly tore apart the whole throne hall. Along with the… well boy, Garak and gul knows how many skilled soldiers and generals. 

That human boy was currently laying in one of the many bedchambers, with doctor Parmak by his side, who was making sure no more tearing apart would happen. 

Garak felt sorry for the boy, his pain and his childhood so shaped by the beliefs of his parents.

Truth to be told, Cardassia wasn’t behaving the best towards its newer regions, mainly where the Humans lived, but Garak never thought it was that bad. That bad that someone would bring up a child only to send him to kill someone. It might have happened in some families among Cardassians, for the empire, but among humans? This wasn’t what they were like.

Garak sighed and brought up the picture of a bloodied boy with dark caramel skin that was pulsing with colourful magic inside, his eyes white and his body trembling from all the power that was not meant for him. When they took him to the bedchamber and the boy was unconscious, Garak saw his chest where the crystal must have been. The flesh burned with the crystal beaming through. It was scary. The boy was never supposed to bear the crystal. No one was. 

The gardens were beautiful and full of shadows one could hide in. Garak found himself one near a fountain and sat down onto a stone bench still lost in his mind.

The boy's name was Julian Bashir and should be fine after Parmak will be through with him. He trusted Parmak and he trusted the boy would listen. He looked like that type. Bright, understanding but scared from the place he was in. Sent to the unknown. And what if he wasn’t the only one with magic? What if there were more? 

He has to ask Julian. Once he gets better. Once Parmak says Garak can ask questions.

_ How are they doing anyway? _

He should ask. He should send someone. Or better go himself. He has nothing important to do anyway, Tain had him clear his whole day for their little meeting. 

Or he won’t have to.

“Garak,” a sweet voice sounded somewhere behind him and Garak had a lot to do to control his appearance and stood up. Parmak must have been coming from the guest wing, where Julian’s bedchamber was, probably with the boy by his side. 

“Doctor Parmak,” he said and smiled lightly as he turned and took a good look at his closest friend and his newest guest. 

Julian looked way better. No blood, no dirty clothes, instead he had a light tunic that was a bit too big, or simply not made for a non-Cardassian. But that wasn’t the important part. The important part was the white runes and ornaments running on his skin along places where the magic ran in his veins. Healed, holding together against the raw nature inside his chest. They were everywhere, contrasting with Julian’s dark skin. From the points of his fingers to his neck. He looked pristine, like some sort of a creature from old tales Cardassian carers and grandmothers told their young about. Someone could have said it was some sort of godlike deity standing in front of him and Garak would have believed them.

“I see your work is done.”

“As much as it can be,” Parmak said and stopped a few meters from Garak, with Julian standing behind him, obviously nervous and scared, hiding like a child behind their mother’s skirt. “But we still have a lot of work in front of us.”

Julian turned his head to Parmak and then nodded. And then he went back to gazing at the gardens, its flowers, trees and bushes, most of which he has probably never seen before and neither has heard of.

“As always,” Garak said with a faint shadow of a smile and looked at Julian who was still admiring the gardens. “And how are you feeling, mister Bashir?”

“I?” the boy asked and turned his head, visibly startled. 

“Yes, you are my guest, your wellbeing is in my hands. I would not like to be known as a lenient host ignoring its guest’s needs and wants.”

“I… I thank you for… well I just thank you,” Julian got out of himself after a bit of thought, still shaken from the battle, still unsure of his host and his surroundings.

“I hope doctor Parmak took good care of you,” Garak continued, he needed to know as much as possible. He wanted to know this young man.

“Yes. Yes, the scars do not ache as much and I feel way better, the runes do really help to keep the magic back,” Julian smiled but then the smile faded when two guards marched around them, obviously making sure everything is fine.

“We shall not expect any other burst of magic in closed spaces then?” Garak asked and stepped closer.

“No… definitely not,” Julian gulped and stepped away from Garak, still hiding behind doctor Parmak, who just shot Garak a stare judging him for this show of dominance.

“I am glad to hear that. Many have been harmed and they are still recovering. Though their wounds haven’t been as deep and as horrifying as yours. For a moment I was scared you would bleed to death,” Garak smiled and turned a bit slowly walking to one of the less used paths in the garden. Parmak and Julian followed him of course, but Garak did his best to match his steps with theirs and to be next to them.

“I… I didn’t know what the magic would do,” Julian said and moved next to the doctor, so the ever so wise Parmak walked in between them like a wall to keep them both safe.

“You didn’t?” Garak asked with surprise in his voice. 

“No. I have never used magic like that. I have only ever practiced with smaller things, like… I don’t know, levitation. Used to make toys out of paper fly around to entertain small children in the village. Or I once or twice stole a piece of a pie,” Julian chuckled, but then it disappeared from his face again and he tried to look away from Garak.

“Such a joy of life. The best use of magic in my opinion, what do you think, Parmak?”

“Better to use magic to make children laugh than to make armies run away in fear,” Parmak said.

“I don’t think that was the initial purpose of magic in our friend, Parmak. Or am I mistaken?” Garak asked and Julian stopped a few steps from him. Hand clenched his new clothes and he tried to look away as much as possible.

“Oh… no… My parents… They wanted to… give me an advantage…”

“In life, no doubt. Though, the use of magic is forbidden in all of Cardassia and its territories. And it was even before.” The rest of the sentence went unsaid and Julian finally looked at Garak, a scared little child with a spark of fire deep inside him. He could be great one day, if he wanted, if he worked towards it. He could be more than any emperor walking this universe if he learned how. 

“Julian had no say in the matter of his magic and we should really let him rest,” Parmak said and gave Garak another stare. 

“Doctor’s orders I believe,” Garak smiled at both his friend and his guest and then very obviously looked around the garden. “Tell me, mister Bashir, have you ever seen something similar where you come from?”

“No,” Julian said. “In fact I don’t recognize most of the flowers and plants I have seen here. Are they only ornamental or do they have healing abilities?”

“Most flowers you will find in this garden are only ornamental, but there is another, smaller garden, where you can find all the flowers needed for various medicines, that can grow here. I had the garden built myself when I became Emperor,” Garak explained. “Would you like to see it?”

“Very much,” Julian said with a smile and looked askingly at doctor Parmak, who was still standing next to him, as a guarding figure. 

“I see no problem in that, but after a little snack. Julian is still tired and needs rest…”

“I feel way better,” Julian tried, but Parmak just raised a finger at him and silenced him.

“Who's your doctor? Me, I believe, thus you will listen to me,” Parmak said and Garak just chuckled a bit, remembering all the arguments he lost to his friend. Julian opened his mouth, no doubt to say something, but Garak was quicker.

“I wouldn’t argue with doctor Parmak. He has the bad habit of being right.”

“That I do,” Parmak smiled.

“Mister Bashir, do you think you could go ahead, you can wait for doctor Parmak by the fountain. I need to have a few words with him. And I believe it will be more bearable for you to stay next to the water, it must be quite hot for you in here,” Garak said and nodded his head towards the fountain. Julian looked at him as if he wanted to protest, but then he smiled, bid him goodbye and left.

“You could have waited for later, I won’t be nursing him the whole day and night,” Parmak said once Julian was out of reach.

“You don’t know that. What if his magic starts to make problems again?”

“Is this what this is about?” Parmak asked. “You want to know what I think and what I know about his magic.”

“It wouldn’t hurt the host to know what his guests are capable of,” Garak said and still looked at the last place he had seen Julian.

“He… He’s just a young boy with power that was not meant for him. He’s scared and confused. The runes help but he will have to learn how to work with his magic,” Parmak explained and moved closer to Garak. “Elim, he means no harm.”

“Yesterday he had a monologue about killing me and releasing his people from slavery. I wouldn’t call that meaning no harm.”

“He is confused. His whole life he was made to believe one thing and now he is learning that it might not have been true. Give him time and then we will see.”

“We might not have that time. If this is what humans are capable of when scared.”

“Have faith Elim, it’s the least you can do,” Parmak said, slightly brushing the sleeves of Garak’s tunic and then left after his newest patient, leaving the Emperor alone in the garden with his thoughts. 

**Author's Note:**

> This work was inspired by the beautiful I will learn (to love the skies I'm under) by Cân Cennau (gwenynnefydd) and Solovei. You can find it here https://archiveofourown.org/works/16789060/chapters/39402367


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